Mary

Memory not what it was Richard...thanks for correction!

Absolutely agree- for me Lamb/Muntagirov were in the top 3 for Manon pairings ever seen.

To me, they look perfect together- I have saved one of the lovely photos of them  in the first pas de deux from the ROH News/ Your reaction to Manon/ page  and it makes my heart lift whenever I look at it........

If there was any sense of less of a buzz about the first night of the season,  that was surely down to the fact -as discussed at length elsewhere- of deplorable policies hitting tickets sales and also, because Manon has been on the stage so much lately- not just RB but ENB.

Last year, having Bayadere as the first night of the season was a bit special as it hadn't been on for a while - and the technical wizardry of the lead dancers and the corps was exceptional ( I THINK it might have been Muntagirov again ...🙂)

But  perhaps it would have been good to have something different to start off the year....Coppelia perhaps.

Absolutely, capybara- it's a scandal, in fact.

This is absolutely wonderful, best- in- the- world dancing, and we are looking at rows of empty seats, the first night of the ballet season ( something I have never seen before) while people with no intention of seeing any performance are playing on their laptops in the foyer.

Can this really be the desired outcome of all the money, time and efffort expended by ROH  on new staff and 'strategies' ?

Time for a complete re-think.

Home now- and a few more quick musings before i crash out...

-still re living that wonderful first solo by Muntagirov when he declares his love- it was utterly exquisite, heart-rending. He seems to keep going up a notch when you think he cannot possibly do so: he now marries technical perfection to utmost grace to passionate expressiveness. Very impressive indeed.

-I was very struck- again- by Joseph Sissens as one of the 'gentlemen' - he outclassed everyone in that scene.

-I could gladly live without ever seeing again some sections of this ballet, ( and some rather dodgy throwing and catching of poor Sarah Lamb in the tavern scene tonight-I hope she did not feel too insecure, at some awkward moments) but, 'the good bits' are so very good.

bed!

Muntagirov has deepened his acting skills: a profoundly moving as well as beautiful performance with the lovely Sarah Lamb. Bravo and brava. 

Thanks- a wonderful example of her thrilling voice and compelling style.

I had some time in hand yesterday on my trip to Agrippina and had a really good look round. One improvement I noticed and would like to enter for the Fussy Nitpicking of the Year award is that  they have finally stuck metal panels on the doors of the amphi loos- which were previously just paint, and covered in v unpleasant grubby hand marks. So that is an improvement.

I couldn't see any major changes  - more new furniture on the terrace, but I think they renew it annually. Signs up now asking us not to 'peer in' or take photos of the costume workshops. It must get annoying for the staff, I can imagine, but it is difficult NOT to look in really if you are strolling on the terrace and there are sumptuous and beautiful costumes hung up in the windows....

It was nice to see the Box Office well settled in now, and they said they liked being there, in the main house.

The lack of Left and Right signage, I agree with points above, is still causing a lot of problems, especially when people pile into the Left door of the amphi and then, realising they are wrong, try to come out at peak going-in time.

The singing was out of this world but the  production...oh dear...why oh why do they always have to have these monstrous sets, creaking and humming- during the music!- and obscuring the singers? and action such that 75% of the house can't see it? not to mention..ah well that's for the music thread.

Looking forward to some ballet next week- as always it seems such a very long time...

I have used Travel for the Arts with success in other parts of the world, Happymum.

Good luck.

Might this be an occasion when using one of the small companies who will organise a bespoke tour for you, would be helpful? I get emails from a couple of such companies- I wouldn't want to advertise them here but could message you if you don't know who I mean, Happymum.

Has anyone been watching the Fosse/Verdon series? I started it last night and quite enjoyed it, - well, enjoyed the sequences about dancing and choreography, and the way Fosse and Verdon worked as a  team. It is, like most new drama series, fairly hard to follow unless you already know a lot about the people concerned, which I do not.

i wondered what more informed viewers thought.

As regards dancers leaving companies, or not getting various chances, perhaps we can never really know, or not for many years, what went on behind the scenes in some of these stories.

I would not necessarily assume dancers were always 'treated' badly or otherwise- they are not just passive figures,  and  might have made their own choices:  to leave suddenly, to avoid a fuss, or whatever - some dancers might even behave unreasonably on occasion. I have no idea, no individuals in mind when I say this - I am just suggesting we can't be absolutely sure that anyone has been badly treated in this respect. Many years working in a large organisation makes me aware of times when someone has become a popular martyr, when in fact I knew there was more to it than that- or, sometimes, a member of staff had in fact turned down a promotion, or wanted to go with no leaving formalities at all-but nobody knew this - it happens.

So I would reserve judgement too.

Alina Cojocaru- a sublime dancer and a favourite of mine too- does regularly appear in her best roles in this country and Kobborg has played a major role in the ballet world in Europe:  leaving ROH is not quite the same as artistic death.

That was a wonderful partnership at ROH and I treasure the memories -ballet is such a fleeting thing.

I couldn't go, alas, but remember enjoying the live screening greatly, and particularly the corps prancing on in a parade of giant vegetables that had me in stitches- or did I imagine that?

On 05/08/2019 at 23:48, DrewCo said:

I find Chudin's aristocratic bearing and pure classical style a profound pleasure--it's not old-school Bolshoi dancing by a long shot, but poetic and dreamy. He sort of floated through his variations Friday.

Pleased to see the comments about Chudin- I have been to almost all the Bolshoi screenings for some years, and he is the male dancer who has stood out for me for the purest and most graceful style: not just that, but a 'certain something' in his bearing and expression that is somehow deeply affecting- a profound pleasure indeed.

I was very sad not to manage to see him live this time.

Good luck Rob

You can't mix the numbers of tickets- it has to be 1 or 2 or whatever, tickets for each ballet in the package.

You obviously can't mix seating area either- decide that first.

You need to start from the Packages page, not the production page.

I am sure others will think of other hints....

I feel no guilt whatsoever Lizbie1. it was superb fun!

There are always those moments when it is impossible not to giggle ( the silly walks...a good few stifled giggles around me) but, there were so many moments of gasping with admiration too.

Spartacus is never going to be my favourite ballet -a lot of the choreography is fairly awful really. But it can be thrilling to watch, and  you couldn't fault the sheer gusto of the performers last night- and Rodkin and Zhakarova were on great form and very impressive, not to mention very beautiful indeed, to watch. I agree maryrose that she was amazingly lithe.

The gusto and attack applied equally to the orchestra and it was very good to experience that Russian verve, and a sense of 'no holding back' that is very exciting in a live performance.

Monica Mason gave a short, but perfectly pitched and excellently presented few words in tribute to Victor Hochhauser, dedicating the season to his memory.

I have  never seen it either. The costumes and sets look rather spectacular and dancing looks as if it might be q good?

Shame about the music and it's all very loud and 'in your face' etc but all film trailers and most 'mainstream' films are like that these days.

No mention of Steven McRae- I think I spotted him though.

Is it my eyesight...what is the problem?

I don't think so. 

Bear in mind only  some sections of seating are available in packages.

3 hours ago, jm365 said:

To see every year:  The King Dances

The ending of that piece is one of my best ballet visual memories- just stunning- William Bracewell especially was superb.

Agree RuthE, totally, that the power of Giselle does come from the theme of dance- and interestingly The King Dances is also about dance.

I like dance that is about itself; for me, like music, dance does not need to justify itself by being 'about' current events.

Can't argue with that list bridiem.

More of the shorter Macmillans and a rest for the big 3-acters would suit me fine but no doubt it would upset a large majority!

Starting each year- Symphonic Variations- -a glorious statement of intent- and ending it -Symphony in C - it shows off the dancers and makes such a wonderful finale- the last act is like a prolonged curtain call.

Patineurs every Christmas.

I also thought 'not Manon again'.

Here's to your next 1000, bridiem!

A quite superb end to a wonderful year.

Muntagirov in Month was perfection. Ashton with a Russian soul. Sublime. 

Still says 10.30 on the cast sheet...